Safety garment structure



July 21, 1959 A. E. ROLLIE 2,895,471

SAFETY GARMENT STRUCTURE Filed Aug. '7, 1958 INVENTOR. 4&4 E. R0440? United States Patent SAFETY GARMENT STRUCTURE Ada E. Rollie, St. Paul, Minn. Application August 7, 1958, Serial No. 753,674 Claims. (Cl. 128-133) This invention relates to a garment for an infant, and more particularly to a safety garment for an infant embodying means adapted to limit the leg movement of said infant. Particular reference is had to an infant in the age bracket from six month to two years.

An infant has a decided tendency to constantly be in motion and to remove itself from an area of confinement, such as from a crib, a pen, or a high chair, and the like. An infant will attempt to place one leg over a confining wall, such as the side of a crib, and then work itself over the side, at which point it generally loses its balance and falls. A limited restriction of the leg movement of an infant would permit it to have adequate mobility and yet prevent it from extending its legs to the point where it would be enabled to climb over a wall, such as the side of a crib or out of a high chair. It is desirable therefore to have a garment for an infant having means integral therewith for restricting or limiting the extent to which the leg portions of the garment could be separated or moved apart and thus limit the extent of the leg movement of the infant wearing the garment.

It is an object of this invention therefore to provide an outer garment for an infant, said garment having leg portions, and having means integral with said leg portions for restricting the extent to which said leg portions may be separated.

It is another object of this invention to provide a safety garment for an infant embodying leg movement limiting means and having leg portions, and bands secured to each of said leg portions, said bands having free end portions at adjacent sides of said leg portions and adapted to be removably secured together.

It is a more specific object of this invention to provide for an infant a safety garment embodying leg movement limiting means having leg portions, an ornamented band secured to each of said leg portions adjacent the bottoms thereof with portions of each of said bands being removably secured to said leg portions and adapted to form free end portions, and said free end portions adapted to be removably secured to one another for adjustably limiting the extent to which said leg portions can be separated.

It is a further object of said bands set forth in the previous object to reinforce the leg portions to which said bands are secured.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be fully set forth in the following description made in connection with the accompanying drawings in which like reference characters refer to similar parts throughout the several views and in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of applicants garment shown in position on the lower body portion of an infant;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 showing a broken away lower portion thereof with portions of applicants garment shown in different positions;

Fig. 3 is a view mainly in horizontal section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2 as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 2 showing portions of applieants garment in different positions;

Fig. 5 is a view in horizontal section taken on line 5-5 of Fig. 4 as indicated by the arrows;

Fig. 6 is a view showing one of applicants fastening means in vertical section as taken on line 6-6 of Fig. 3 in the direction of the arrows; and

Fig. 7 is a top plan view of a portion. of applicants garment.

. With reference to the drawings, and with particular reference to Fig. 1, a garment 10 is shown in wearing position generally on the lower body portion of an infant 12. The garment may be variously formed, there being no specific novelty in the particular type or design of the garment so long as the garment has leg portions. Said garment may be of the type known as a sleeper garment in which the feet of the infant are enclosed, or' it may be a trouser type of garment such as is here indicated.

Garment 10 as shown comprises a waistband 14, a body portion 15, and depending leg portions 16 and 17. It is preferable that the leg portions of the garment extend quite far down on the legs of the infant as here illustrated. The feet of the infant are here indicated as being enclosed in shoes 18 and 19.

Secured about the bottom portion of leg 16 is a band 22. Said band may be formed of various materials, but it has been found desirable to form it of a strip of nonelastic sheet material of considerable strength, such as webbing. Said band 22 will harmonize with the remainder of said garment 10. Said band 22 will be permanently secured to said leg portion, as by sewing, and may extend for various distances about said leg portion. It has been found desirable to extend said band completely about said leg portion 16 to reinforce and strengthen said leg portion. Said band 22 has a portion 23 adapted to be removably secured to said pant leg 16 whereby it may become a free end portion, as shown in Fig. 1. With said band 22 extending about said leg portion 16, said portion 23 will form an overlapping portion of said band 22 when in position secured about said leg 16. Said band portion 23 is provided with spaced gripping fasteners 25 at the inner side thereof, which side would be secured to said band 22. Said fasteners 25 are of a common and well known variety of gripping fastener. Mating portions 26 for said fasteners 25 will be spaced partially about said band 22. The front portion of said band 22 which is not overlapped by said portion 23 is shown to be ornamented, as with studs 28 as here indicated.

Secured about the bottom portion of leg 17 is a band 30 identical in construction to said band 22 and having a free end portion 31. Said free end portion will overlap the rear portion of band 39 when not in use. Said free end portion 31 has secured thereto spaced gripping fasteners 34 adapted to be removably secured to mating gripping portions 35 spaced partially about said band 30 rearwardly thereof. Mating gripping portions 36 of said gripping fasteners 34 will also be secured in spaced relation to the front side of said free end portion 23 for removably securing together said free end portions 23 and 31. The remaining portion of said band 30 shown as the front portion thereof in Fig. 1 will be ornamented, as with studs 38.

In use, applicants leg movement limiting means may be embodied in various types of garments. When it is desirable to permit an infant to have unlimited freedom of its legs, said band portions 23 and 31 will respectively overlap bands 22 and 30 and be removably secured there to by their respective snap fasteners above described. When it is desired to limit the freedom of the leg movement of an infant to prevent it from climbing over the side of a crib or play pen, or removing itself from various similar types of enclosures, said band portions 23 and 31 will be respectively unfastened from the band portions 22 and 30 and said free end portions 23 and 31 will then be. fastened together. to link the leg portions of the garment. Said freeend band portions 23 and 31' may be.

completely overlapped: in being fastened together or. may only be partially overlapped depending upon the amount of freedom of leg movement it' is desired to permit the infant' to have. It has been found that when the leg movement of an infant isthus limited through the linking-of the leg portions of the garment, that said infant is prevented from climbing, such as over the side of a crib or. playpen: Also when the infant is seated in its high chair'or in a similar seating device through which its: legs dangle, that when the dangled legs are joined bysaid bands 23 and 31 it is impossible for the infant to withdraw its legs to climb out of or free itself' from its high chair or similar type of seatingdevice.

Thus it is seen that I have provided a very simple and effective, safety garment structure embodying means to limit the freedom of leg movementof an infant for some purposes, as for climbing, and yet permitting it to have sufficientfreedom for normal mobility, such as for walking or crawling.

It will of course be understood that various changes may-be made in the form, details, arrangement and proportions of the parts, without departing from the scope of applicants invention, which, generally stated, consists ina device capable of carrying out the objects above setrforth, in the parts and combinations of parts disclosed and, defined in the, appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. Asafety garment for an infant embodying leg movement limiting means comprising an outer garment adapted to; be worn by an infant, said outer garment having a pain of leg portions, a band, of material about each of saidlleg portions adjacent the bottoms thereof, a substantial portionof each of said bands being integral With said leg portions, the remaining portions of said bands being removably secured to said leg portions and adapted to form adjacent free end portions, said adjacent free end portions being adapted to be removably secured to one another to link the leg portions of said garment to limit the leg movement of said infant.

2. A safety garment for an infant embodying leg movement limiting means comprising an outer garment adapted to be worn by an infant, saidlouter garment having a pair of leg portions, a band of material about each of said leg portions adjacent the bottoms thereof, said bands respectively having portions detachable from said leg portions to form free end portions, said free end portions being adjacent one another and adapted to be removably secured togethertolinlcztogether the leg portions of said garment to limit the leg movement of said infant.

3. The structure setforthin claim2, said bands being formed of' sheet material respectively secured to the front portions of said leg portions, spaced snap fast eners secured to the remaining portions-ofsaid bands, fasteners adapted to mate with said fasteners being respectively carried by the rear portions of said leg portions whereby said bands have portions which may be removably secur ed tothe rear portions of said leg portions. 4. A safety garment for an infant embodying leg movement-limiting means comprising an outer garment adapted to be worn by an infant, said garment having a pair of leg portions, an ornamented band about each of said leg portions adjacent the bottoms thereof, portions of said bands being removably secured to said leg portions whereby said removably secured portions will form. adjacent free end portions and said free end portions being adapted to be removably adjustably secured to one another to link together the leg portions of said garment to limit the leg movement of said infant.

5. A safety garment for an infant embodying legmove ment limiting means comprising an outer garment having a pair of leg portions, a band of non-elastic sheetjmae terial about each of said leg portions adjacent the bottoms thereof and integral therewith, said bands respectively having adjacent free end portions, said free end. portions respectively adapted to overlap partially about .said bands, and means for removably securing said free end portions to said bands and to each other.

Tuckey Sept; 21,.1937 Moore et-al. Sept. 1, 1953 

